The invention relates to a liquid distributor for two liquid phases to be uniformly distributed into a plurality of tubes of an upright tube-bundle reactor. Such tube-bundle reactors are used to carry out chemical reactions which are either highly exothermic or endothermic, and in which a certain temperature range must be adhered to. Whilst the chemical reaction takes place inside the tubes, which are filled with bulk material, for example, the tubes on the outside are tempered, i.e. either cooled or heated. The tubes are normally retained at the top and bottom by tubesheets and are therefore closed or sealed against the outside of the tube. Furthermore, normal tube-bundle reactors exhibit an outer jacket and openings for feed and discharge pipes, as well as for assembly purposes. The outer jacket normally also delimits the distribution chamber above the tubesheet on the outside.
In such reactors the uniform dosing of the reactants presents difficulties, particularly in the case of two liquids which cannot be mixed and which, because of their non-miscibility, cannot be pre-mixed and must therefore be introduced separately into the individual tubes of the tube bundle, for example, an aqueous and an oily phase. Difficulties also arise if one of the two liquids or both of them are supplied in small throughputs and the discharge points are therefore subject to interfacial effects of the liquids, e.g. radial deflection, and when, in addition, the required small discharge openings may be blocked by particles of dirt.
A further difficulty arises in cases where not only the two liquids but also a gas flow is to be fed into the individual tubes of the tube bundle, whether as a further reaction medium, as a stripping medium for reaction products or for flushing undesirable secondary products. Such a difficulty regularly occurs when the tube-bundle reactors contain bulk material, e.g. catalyst inventory or carrier material for biological processes, and provision is made for the reactor to operate as a trickle-bed reactor.
Difficulties of the above-mentioned type may also be mutually intensifying when the gas flow and liquid drops or fine liquid jets influence each other, for example, liquid is dispersed.
A further difficulty may arise when changing operating conditions prevail. This is the case if cyclic regeneration of catalyst material or flushing of biological material is required and the distributor must also overcome flow rates that are substantially different from those in normal operation during the regeneration.